When Elland Road hosted a political match of the day

These photos rewind to July 1941 when Elland Road welcomed Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. Thousands turned out to listen to the politician and had queued for up to three hours before he arrived. When the gates opened at 1.30pm, the Yorkshire Evening News reported that "the place soon took on a semblance of a trek to a peace-time football cup-tie, as people arrived by tram, car and on foot". When he addressed the crowd two Spitfires planes roared over the city in honour of his visit. These photos are published courtesy of Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. They also run heritage blog The Secret Library Leeds, which provides a behind the scenes look at the Central Library and highlights from its special collections, including rare books hidden away in the stacks. READ MORE: The ups and downs of Elland Road down the decades LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook